But, I couldn't leave Japan without one last tour around the island. My aunts came to visit me, and for the last fourteen days we've been visiting different areas in Japan. Here's a recap!
On August 1st, we headed up to Sapporo. Which was a bit of a relief, because the temperature down in Tokyo were pretty hot (and humid). We were lucky that we went to Sapporo when we did; the Beer Festival was in full swing. We spent some time checking out the area where the festival was being held; it was pretty much all beer and tables (with some appetizer-like food thrown in for variation). My favorite part of going to Sapporo was when we did a day trip to Otaru. It's a small port town about an hour away from Sapporo, and it was really fun being a tourist for the day.
After our stop in Sapporo, we headed down to Nara. Nara is famous for it's deer, and I took quite a few pictures of them while I was there!!
There was also a lot of historical monuments in Nara. Nara is an old capital of Japan, and has significance in the establishment of Buddhism. So, there was a lot of interesting monuments to see while we were there. Including a lot of preserved buildings and a giant jade Buddha.
I've been told that you have to see Kyoto if you come to Japan, and I was finally able to when we stayed in Nara. We made two day trips to Kyoto, and we made a point of seeing a little bit of everything. So, we saw a castle, a temple, and several parks/gardens.
The shrine we saw was called Fushini Inari Shrine, and I've wanted to see it for a long time. It's famous for its tori gates (those red arches you see in the pictures). I've been told that each of those gates have been donated to the shrine, and they line the walk way all the way up to the top of the mountain.
Our trip to Nara was followed by a stop in Nagoya. I wasn't expecting much in Nagoya, but we ended up doing a lot. The first day, we went to the aquarium. And, I may have gone a little camera happy taking pictures of the marine life. There's something about taking pictures of fish that I really enjoy.
Our aquarium tickets also came with tickets to see a marine time museum of the port of Nagoya, and to see the port from an observation deck. The view was rather spectacular.
The second day in Nagoya, we went to another castle. This one was a bit newer that the one we saw in Kyoto. The palace was being restored. But, the castle had been converted into a museum, and each floor told you a bit about what life was like in Japan in the feudal era.
Now, we're back in Tokyo. In a few hours, I will be on a plane bound for home. Better start packing!
